BC can't hold on against Wake

BC got hot late in the second half and I thought they were going to pull it out. But then just as quickly it fell apart and BC lost to Wake Forest. The primary problem was dealing with Wake's bigs. Both Jeffers and Popovic fouled out trying to defend the post. BC went small and it created some problems for Wake, but not enough to tie the game late.

The good news is that Chatman remained hot. He is a nice compliment to Bowman and Robinson. But BC had too many bad passes from guys kicking out to the perimeter.

Even without the size mismatches, I worry about the BC defense. There are times when they look okay (like when they forced Wake into a shot clock violation). Then moments later there is confusion or no help or as easy look. I hope as the guys mature, the D gets better.

The team next takes on Louisville on Saturday.

Pre Signing Day recruiting news

Signing Day is approaching and BC used the last free weekend to close in on some more recruits. After just offering New York Defensive Tackle Nate Emer, he reportedly verballed this weekend. He's going to need to add weight and adjust to the higher level of play, but I think Emer has potential.

Another reported verbal was New Jersey DT TJ Rayman. He has a better offer list than Emer. He's also a bit older and more developed. Hopefully he will be able to contribute right away.

Matthew McDonald had a good visit too but won't announce until Wednesday.

Despite Chatman's record night, BC loses to VT

A role player made 10 3-pointers and BC still lost. It was that kind of night. We had heard that Chatman was a shooter, but until now, he had yet to show any game-breaking ability. I don't expect 30 a night from him, but I hope he can become a reliable threat from long range. It will open things up for everyone else.

As for why BC lost to Virginia Tech...it was a familiar story. They turned the ball over too much. They played confused D in the first half. That allowed Virginia Tech to establish a big lead, which BC then had to claw back from. Bowman was cold early. We also didn't get much from Turner. When they cut the lead to one point late, I tweeted that BC was in the middle of a great comeback. The final score does not indicate how tense it was late.

As for positives, Jeffers provided some solid minutes.

BC needs everything to be clicking to win an ACC game. It is a shame that Champan's effort did not result in a win. If he keeps up the sharpshooting, there will be plenty of wins to follow.

Hockey beats Notre Dame and other links

The Men's Hockey team used a big third period to beat Notre Dame.

John Johnson was one of the leading tacklers in the Senior Bowl.

Mike Mayock knew of Matt Ryan even before Ryan arrived at BC.

The latest on BC's second QB target

We've known that BC was still looking at California QB Matt McDonald as a recruit in the 2017 class. Now he has an official offer and is on campus for an official visit. Based on timing and Twitter, it seems like McDonald is coming.

Absolutely loving my Boston College official! pic.twitter.com/xHV0chAsPm

— Matt McDonald (@mattcmcdonald4) January 27, 2017

Adding another QB to this class is critical. Not only is BC's current BC depth chart inexperienced, but also thin. Assuming that Wade is out, the only QB on campus with experience is Fadule. Even if Brown is a super star in the making, we need some sort of hedge. EJ Perry is committed, but why not bring in another QB like McDonald?

McDonald is available because he is a late bloomer who transferred from a mega power to get more playing time. He played in a good league and has the build and arm of a ACC player. Because he just became a starter, there is a risk, but the upside is huge.

As much as I would love for Addazio to target an elite recruit well in advance and keep him locked in, the McDonald situation is pretty common in BC's recruiting. We always have to take fliers on late bloomers and guys who fall through the cracks. They don't always become stars, but as long as a few do, BC will keep winning.

Bell honored and other links

These are mostly from earlier in the week, but I didn't have time to comment on them all here.

I always get a chuckle out of the awkward forced history required by our conference shift. This year at the ACC Tournament, the Conference will name Troy Bell and "ACC Legend" despite never playing in the conference. Troy certainly deserves to be recognized and there is no way the Big East will ever do it. In the end it is just another reason to bring a former player closer to the program. That's a good thing.

Snow Junior College named former Eagle Paul Peterson their new head coach. I am very happy for Paul and his success, although I wish his career path had him headed towards BC. Aside from a GA year under TOB at NC State, all of his professional experience has been out West. And the western FCS and JUCO ranks are very different from BC's niche. Hopefully he leverages success at Snow into either a head job at a four year school or as a coordinator in a Power 5.

Here is a link to Brent Musberger and Doug Flutie discussing the famous Hail Mary. He thinks it was the most special of his career.

The Women's Basketball team lost again.

BC's comeback against Miami falls short

This was one of those games where the score doesn't tell the whole story. BC lost to Miami by one, but the game was not close for long stretches. It was only a frantic comeback that made it interesting. You can look at a game like that two ways. BC fighting until the end and not giving up is a great sign for future close games. The bad news is that they fell so far behind with sloppy play and letting Miami get too many second chances.

Turner had one of his best games. He was aggressive from outside and grabbed some boards. Robinson carried the team. Bowman was contained and he made many of the sloppy turnovers. Overall, though, these guys were not the problem. We didn't get enough points out of the frontline and they also were allowing too many easy baskets.

The team next takes on Virginia Tech Sunday night.

"I don't believe it!" Voice of Flutie's Hail Mary retires

Brent Musberger is walking away from broadcasting. I will leave others to capture his career and legacy. Instead I will just remind you that he brought you this.

Gut reaction to BC's 2017 Football Schedule

BC and the ACC released the 2017 Football Schedule Tuesday. Many of the non-conference dates were already known. Now we know where the ACC games fall into places. Here is the schedule and below is my gut reaction:

Sept. 1  --  at Northern Illinois
Sept. 9  --   Wake Forest
Sept. 16  --   Notre Dame
Sept. 23   --   at Clemson
Sept. 30   --   Central Michigan
Oct. 7   --   Virginia Tech
Oct. 14   --   at Louisville
Oct. 21   --   at Virginia
Oct. 27   --   Florida State
Nov. 11   --   NC State
Nov. 18   --   at Connecticut (Fenway Park)
Nov. 25   --   at Syracuse

-- This is very front loaded. Even though Notre Dame is coming off of a rough season, they will be better in 2017. Wake will probably be better. BC will probably be 3-2 coming out of September and could easily be 2-3. That will dampen enthusiasm and heat up the Hot Seat talk for Addazio.

-- BC could run the table late. I don't expect Brown to be playing like a Senior come November, but you hope that by then he and the staff understand what he can and cannot do. BC could close the season with wins against NC State, UConn at Fenway and at Syracuse. It might be another bowl eligibility run like this season.

-- One of the best home games is on a Friday again. Fortunately for season ticket holders outside the Boston area, they still get to see Notre Dame and Virginia Tech on a Saturday. The Friday night games are not going away. I just wish the ACC and ESPN would use them for less desirable matchups. But they are more concerned about ratings and not ticket holder experiences.

-- We will know everything we need to know about Addazio by the BYE week. This is Year 5. This is what he has been pointing to since Day 1. Our BYE week comes during the first week in November. By then he will have played all the elite teams on the schedule. If he has not broken through with at least one of them and we need to finish 3-0 to make a bowl, then Addazio might as well be let go during BC's break.

With the ACC's recent depth and competitiveness, I don't know if you can craft a perfect schedule. This one is fine and manageable. Let's hope BC is up for it.

Stroll down Memory Lane with Matty Ice

BC loses recruit and other links

BC lost one of its verbals as Ohio prospect DeAri Todd switched to Michigan State. It seems like a higher percentage of BC recruits have to flipped away this year. Hopefully Addazio will steal a few from other schools in the next week or two before Signing Day.

The Women's Basketball team lost again. They are now 1-6 in ACC play.

The Women's Hockey team swept Vermont this weekend.

And finally, some BC guy is in the Super Bowl. I might have a thing or two to say about him in the next two weeks.

Basketball can't close gap against UNC

BC played hard and made it interesting at times, but they never led during the game and couldn't pull out the upset against UNC. The Tar Heels are a good team with a lot of talent. That is the main story. But as to why BC lost this one: it came down to rebounding and turnovers.

The rebounding was frustrating to watch too. Every time BC cut the lead, UNC would seemingly extend it again off of a rebound. The offensive boards weren't great either. It seemed that BC was so focused on defending the transition, they gave up some second chance points.

Bowman scored 33 and Robinson chipped in 18. Conte was filled, but too many in attendance were wearing blue.

BC is back on the court Wednesday night. Nothing is a must win, but the team could use another confidence booster.  

Hockey bounces back against UMass

After the frustrating series with BU earlier in the week, BC Hockey needed a decisive win. They got one. BC built an early lead and never looked back. They also controlled and limited UMass's shots. The guys are off for a few days and then take on UConn Tuesday.

That's how ya respond. Six different goal scorers give the #BCEagles another two points in the @hockey_east standings. See you Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/0c1Vnje5qR

— BC Hockey (@BCHockey) January 21, 2017

Steve Logan talks BC

Former BC Offensive Coordinator is once again a radio personality in North Carolina. With Matt Ryan in the NFC Title game, his fellow radio guys asked him to reminisce about his time at BC. Here are some of his quotes:

Logan, on coaching at Boston College: The first week I was there, those kids looked at me like I was crazy.

— David Glenn Show (@DavidGlennShow) January 18, 2017

Logan, on Boston College: The academics are so high there, you get a certain type of athlete.

— David Glenn Show (@DavidGlennShow) January 18, 2017

Logan: Matt Ryan is about as smart a guy as you'll be around in your life.

— David Glenn Show (@DavidGlennShow) January 18, 2017

Logan: I really cherish my Boston College experience. The academics are so high there that you just get a different cut of cloth.

— David Glenn Show (@DavidGlennShow) January 18, 2017

I hear many disgruntled BC fans and casual college sports fans say that BC is a "bad job." It is not. It is different from most and if you appreciate the differences, you will love it here. Logan is sincere. He wanted the Head Coach job after Jags was fired. It is one of the great "what ifs" of the past ten years.

Rough night against UVA

We've seen BC get hot early and run away on Power 5 teams. We've seen them hang with Power 5s and win close games. They have yet to prove they can dig out of big holes against elite teams. That is what happened in the loss to Virginia Wednesday. BC was ice cold in the first half (in part because of UVA's tough D) and never got back into it. Things were relatively better in the second half, but at that point UVA was playing their bench. With the loss, BC falls to 2-4 in ACC games. Next up is UNC.

The good news is that Chatman played well. It was easily his best game at BC. Tava was also able to penetrate and find good looks...they just didn't fall.

UVA is the type of team that would give us fits. They have a tough, disciplined D and turn mistakes and turnovers into points. But now we need to see if BC can bounce back and get back the explosiveness they showed just a week ago.

RIP Ray Henderson

I don't like writing about death, especially of young people. I also am always hoping for the happy ending for BC guys who give so much on the field. That is why it was sad to hear of the death of Ray Henderson.

Henderson was a Middle Linebacker on the first BC team in the ACC. Lining up alongside new BC coach Ricky Brown, Henderson was a exuberant presence on the field. Although not always the fastest or strongest guy, Henderson was savvy enough to be very good at dropping into coverage in Spaz's scheme. He ended up with nine career interceptions. I never heard of Ray getting in trouble at BC, but he quickly spiraled out of control after his Football career ended. He was arrested and indicted on drug charges. There are no recent updates regarding his drug usage or current status online. One can only pray that he was doing better.

We can project a lot about these guys on and off the field. I didn't know Ray and don't know who he really was. I just thank him for his service to BC and feel sorry for his friends, family and teammates.

BU beats BC again

The Hockey team dropped a second game to BU in three days, losing 3-0 on Monday. It was another defensive game, as BU added a few goals late.

The team gets a chance to snap its current losing streak when they take the ice again on Friday vs UMass.

See you at @tdgarden for the first round of the #Beanpot, Terriers. Boston University take round of the #BattleOfCommAve. pic.twitter.com/z9PkV9SwBn

— BC Hockey (@BCHockey) January 17, 2017

Hockey drops game to BU and other links

BC lost a defensive battle to BU Saturday. They meet again at BC on Monday night.

Now that the "quiet period" is over, Addazio and his staff are on the road again locking up the verbals.

Former verbal Jason Pinnock sounds like he really loves Pitt. Maybe Addazio can win him, back but it doesn't sound like it.

If you didn't read earlier in the week, Hoffses captured the good and the bad of Addazio's TV work during the National Championship Game.

Women's Basketball lost again.

Syracuse gets it revenge

When BC broke through in ACC play two weeks ago, many wondered what was wrong with Syracuse. If you go by Saturday's results: nothing is wrong with Syracuse. Bowman and Robinson were a combined 4 for 20 from the field. BC can't win games where those two don't play well.

The team also had too many turnovers and couldn't punish Syracuse from outside.

The good news was that Popovic played well. It would be nice for Popivic to take some giants leaps in maturity (like Bowman) so that we have a third option.

BC takes on UVA Wednesday.

BC doing the right thing with retired numbers and Ruth

Earlier in the week, BC announced they would honor John Bagley and Dana Barros with jersey retirement ceremonies. It is a real simple gesture, but an important one. BC doesn't do enough to promote its own history and athletic success. I also don't think BC Basketball nurtures a community and legacy like other BC sports do. While players and coaches are the key to continued success, if we want better fan support and more attention locally and nationally, BC needs to promote their history and build a true winning culture. Getting guys like Barros and Bagley around and honoring their accomplishments might start that change for BC Basketball's culture.

Also, earlier this week, the College Football Hall of Fame announced that former Eagle Mike Ruth would be inducted into the Hall. Ruth, at times, is the forgotten man of BC's success in the 1980s. He had a short NFL career and then dealt with numerous struggles off the field and in his personal life. Those issues have kept him in the background. You won't see the school trot him out for interviews and fundraisers like they do with Flutie or Ryan. But the BC Football alums have been providing support to Ruth for years. I don't know where Mike is in his life now, but hopefully the Hall honor is another step towards stability. And hopefully BC can use this moment to remind people of what he did on the field.